Japan supports livelihood improvement project for resettled communities

Tuesday, 16 September 2014 00:13 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Government of Japan has extended $ 224,380 (approximately Rs. 30 million; JPY 21,764,860) to the ‘Reconstruction of Community and Improvement of Livelihood of Returnees in the Fishing Community of Mullaitivu District’ project which will be implemented by Pacific Asia Resource Center Interpeople’s Cooperation (PARCIC) in the Mullaitivu District under the Japan-NGO Cooperation Grant Scheme. PARCIC is a Japanese NGO, actively involved in reconstruction and development in the Northern Province since 2004. This project is for resettled fishery communities to improve their livelihoods. PARCIC has provided 18 common wells and three common halls in the area since 2013. It also has been providing language education programs and after-school classes using the common halls. It helped returnees to quickly recover from the lack of basic living infrastructure, as well as to rebuild the community unity. As a follow-up to that, this project will provide three fish market buildings to the villages in Maritimepattu DS Division, Mullaitivu. Japan is committed and strongly supports initiatives for global peace and prosperity and hence encourages Sri Lanka’s efforts for national reconciliation as a means of sustaining long-term development in the country. It is in this context that Japan was a key partner in the peace process and provided its unstinted support to reconstruct and rebuild the northern areas, with highest priority to the welfare of the people. Commenting on the project Ito, a project coordinator of PARCIC said “This project aim is to strengthen fishery societies in the area. Regardless of the experience of displacement during the civil war and the shortage of fishing gears, some societies are recovering very well and have restarted their cooperative activities. We hope this project would accelerate their recovery and throughout our program the fishery communities as a whole will regain their strength. Everyone in the communities, who has come back to their places after more than 20 years, is eager to rebuild their life, and this project supports those wishes of the communities.” The Grant Contract was signed between Ambassador of Japan Nobuhito Hobo and PARCIC Project Coordinator Fumi Ito on 12 September 2014 at the Ambassador’s Residence in Colombo.